I'll Be Waiting
by cytokine
Summary: LJ - James and Lily's last year at Hogwarts. Full of love, hate, sadness, friendships and laughs. PG-13 later chapters! ON HIATUS
1. Heads Up

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, it all belongs to JK Rowling.  
  
A/N: Ok, this is my first ever fic so it's probably gonna be really bad, but please read it! :)  
  
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!" Lily Evans screamed. "I got Head Girl!"  
  
Lily raced down the stairs to the kitchen. "Mum, Dad I got Head Girl!" Lily squealed.  
  
"So we heard" her father, Mark Evans, replied with gleaming eyes, once which reminded Lily very much of the ones the Headmaster at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (the school which Lily attended), Albus Dumbledore, almost always seemed to wear.  
  
"Well done, Lily, I'm very proud of you!" Lily's mum Rose replied, and hugged her tightly.  
  
"Why did I hear the freak screaming?" Lily's sister, Petunia snarled, walking into the kitchen.  
  
"Petty, please don't call Lily a freak, and she just got Head Girl-"  
  
"Oh so your now the leader of the freak show! Congratulations Lily I'm so proud!" Petunia said sarcastically.  
  
"PETUNIA DIANA EVANS YOU APOLOGIZE TO LILY AT ONCE!" Mark roared.  
  
"You know what I don't think I will!" Petunia retaliated, turning to leave.  
  
"Petunia please-" Rose began, but was rudely interrupted.  
  
"No Mother, I've had enough of this! Lily this, Lily that, Lily's perfect! I'm not putting up with this any longer! I'M LEAVING!" Petunia shouted, and ran out of the kitchen and up the stairs. Rose ran after her.  
  
"Petunia listen, were are you going to-"  
  
"Mother, Vernon and I are getting married" Petunia said, packing her things into a suitcase. "I was going to tell you over dinner, but then." she trailed off, zipping up her suitcase.  
  
"Goodbye Mother" Petunia said, mocking sorrow, and walking out her bedroom door. "I'll send you the invitation in the mail," Petunia said, "If you're lucky!" she finished, slamming the door.  
  
"Oh Petty." Rose sobbed.  
  
"Mum, don't cry! Shhhh!" Lily said soothingly, hugging her mother, "She'll be back, don't worry!"  
  
"I hope so Lily, I hope so," Rose said, wiping away her tears.  
  
"I've got to get started on dinner," Rose said, pulling away from Lily, and waling back towards the kitchen.  
  
'I've got to owl Bella!' Lily thought, and ran back to her room. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Hey Sirius - Hogwarts letters!" James Potter said excitedly to his best friend Sirius Black, as they were eating their afternoon tea. They both quickly opened their letters, and read the parchment.  
  
"Same old same old - I thought I'd be Head Boy for sure!" Sirius said, mocking disappointment.  
  
"Sorry about that mate.what the." James said, dumbfounded.  
  
"What's wrong Prongs?" Sirius said, eating a Chocolate Frog.  
  
"I.I'm Head Boy" James replied, still shocked.  
  
"WHAT? ONE OF THE RINGLEADERS OF THE MARAUDERS, HEAD BOY? WHAT WAS DUMBLEDORE THINKING?" Sirius yelled.  
  
"I have no idea, but guess who Head Girl is?" James said excitedly.  
  
"Hmm.I wonder.could it be the top of the class in every subject, pretty, popular, object of James Potter's affections for six years Miss Lily Evans?" Sirius guessed.  
  
"Got that right, Padfoot!" James said. "Think, I get to spend all that extra time with her; on the train, in all the meetings and of course - in our joint dorm!"  
  
"Prongs.no offence but, if you want her to go out with you, you've really gotta try art not being an arrogant, conceited-"  
  
"-Jerk" James finished, downcast. "I'll try Padfoot, but I don't really know how."  
  
"Just be kind to her, help her out, and maybe just compliment her, in a nice way Prongs like, "Hey Lily, you look pretty today" or something" Sirius said, wisely.  
  
"Wow mate, I didn't know you had it in you. Sirius Black spoke some words of wisdom!" James said, laughing.  
  
"Laugh all you want Prongs, but, uh, I'm using your broom for Quidditch!" Sirius yelled and ran up the stairs of the Potter's house to James's bedroom.  
  
'I've really gotta try' James thought 'I love her so much'. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Lily was sitting at her desk, writing to her best friend, Arabella (Bella) Figg. Lily's two other friends, Marie Singleton and Sirius cousin Zanthia (Zani) Black, also best friends, were staying together at the Singleton's. Bella, who's mum was the nicest person Lily knew, had invited Lily to stay sometime in the holidays. Now, with two weeks left until they all went to Hogwarts, Lily decided to take up that offer.  
  
Her letter read:  
  
To Bella, How have your holidays been? Mine have been, well as good as they can be with Petunia as a sister. Speaking of Petunia, guess what happened today? Well I got my Hogwarts letter, and I got Head Girl! Anyway, Petunia chucked a psycho, packed her stuff and left. Said she's getting married to that whale of a man Vernon Dursley. Mum was in tears. Petunia is wicked. I can't believe she'd do that to mum! Anyway, the main reason I was writing was because I'd love to take up the offer of staying at your house for the rest of the summer. My house is going to be a screaming match the next few weeks, I'd rather stay away.  
  
All my love, Lily  
  
Lily attached the letter to her owl, Miranda.  
  
"Hey sweetie! Send this to Bella!" Lily whispered in Miranda's ear, and Miranda flew out Lily's bedroom window, and off into the sunset.  
  
'This is going to be one crazy year' Lily thought, and lay down on her bed.  
  
A/N: Ok, so that's the first chapter done! Should I continue or not? All you kind people out there, please review!!!! jellybeanqueen 


	2. Freaks, Brats and Munchkins

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. It all belongs to JK Rowling.  
  
A/N: I decided to continue as I got some reviews!!! I am thanking Katie, Tempest in a Teacup, Diamond Dust and of course, Juliet-Jane for reviewing the first chapter! Thanks guys! You rock!  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
The next day, Lily awoke to the sound of Miranda tapping on her bedroom window. Lily jumped out of bed and opened the window, as she wanted to see Bella's reply.  
  
Bella's letter read:  
  
To Lily,  
  
I asked mum about the whole staying over thing and she said it's fine. You can come over whenever you want.  
  
Love,  
  
Bella  
  
P.S. I just had to laugh when you told me about Petunia marrying that whale! Imagine what their kids will look like!  
  
Lily laughed at the thought, and put the letter on her desk. She remembered that she hadn't asked her parents about going to Bella's yet, so she headed downstairs. She stopped outside the door to the dining room, where her parents were fighting, as they had been ever since Petunia's little outburst.  
  
"Mark, we could call Vernon's-"  
  
"Rose, that brat of a daughter we have deserves nothing from us!" Mark yelled angrily.  
  
"But Mark, she's our daughter-"  
  
"Yes, but so is Lily! How do you think she feels constantly being called a freak?" Mark shouted at his wife.  
  
"Ahem" Lily said, stepping into the dining room.  
  
"Lily, did you hear-" Rose began, but was interrupted by Lily.  
  
"Mum, don't worry, I'm not hear to talk about that, I was going to ask you whether I could stay at Bella's for the rest of the summer. Can I?" Lily asked with pleading eyes.  
  
"Is it alright with Mrs Figg?" Rose asked her daughter.  
  
"Yeah it's fine. So can I go?" Lily said impatiently.  
  
"Mmm.ok" Mark said, "If it's alright with you Rose"  
  
"Ok Lily, you can go then" Rose complied.  
  
"Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Lily said, and hugged each of them. "I'll go pack!" she shouted as she ran up the stairs.  
  
Lily collected her belongings, packed them in her trunk along with Miranda, and apparated to the Figg's house.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Sirius, you lazy ass, get up!" James shouted into his best friend's ear, trying, unsuccessfully, to get him up.  
  
"Fons uw awad!" Sirius mumbled into his blanket, trying to say "Prongs you bastard!"  
  
"James! Sirius! You're breakfast is ready!" James's mother, Mary Potter shouted from the kitchen downstairs.  
  
Sirius immediately jumped out of his bed, yelled "FOOD!" and ran to the kitchen.  
  
James, laughing, followed him.  
  
They sat down, and began eating their bacon and eggs.  
  
"Mmm, Mrs Potter, this is goooood" Sirius said, mouth full.  
  
"Sirius, I really admire your table manners" Mary said, chuckling.  
  
Just then, James's sister, Sophie, walked in the front door.  
  
"Hey Soph" James said, looking up from reading the Daily Prophet.  
  
"Hey brat.and munchkin!" she said, addressing the boys with the nicknames she'd given them when they were little.  
  
"Aww, shut up Sophie" Sirius said, blushing, as Sophie was extremely pretty.  
  
"So Sophie dear, what have you been up to lately?" Mary asked her only daughter.  
  
"Oh, same old, same old. Voldermort's been on a few killing sprees lately, and us Auror's have been run off our feet!" Sophie answered.  
  
Sophie, as she said, was an Auror. A damn good one too. She took after their father, Ted Potter, who had died two years ago serving the ministry.  
  
"How's your flat?" James asked.  
  
"Well, it would be better if Mia didn't spend the whole day on her ass reading trashy magazines. That girl has no life now! And as for Rita, well, she's off all the time interrogating poor, innocent people, trying to get a good story for the Prophet" Sophie answered, sitting on the couch  
  
After graduating from Hogwarts 4 years ago, Sophie moved into a flat with her best friend, Amelia (Mia) Brooks, and an ex-Ravenclaw who graduated a year before them, Rita Skeeter.  
  
"Well you know, Sophie, you could move back-"  
  
"Mother I am not a child anymore. I need my independence" Sophie retorted.  
  
"Yes, yes, I know. I did listen to some of the lecture you gave me four years ago!" Mary said, slightly annoyed.  
  
"Mother, uh, can Sirius and I go to Diagon Alley today to get school stuff?" James asked his mother, trying to break up the argument.  
  
"Yes, yes of course" Mary replied, a bit sidetracked.  
  
"Padfoot, come on, let's go now" James said pointedly.  
  
"Oh yes, lovely breakfast, Mrs Potter," Sirius said, and he and James ran upstairs to grab their moneybags, and apparated to Diagon Alley, leaving Mary and Sophie to their argument. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
When Lily arrived at Bella's house, she found it to be seemingly empty.  
  
"Bella? Bella!" Lily called out.  
  
'This is weird,' Lily thought, 'No-one's home'.  
  
Lily turned the corner to Bella's kitchen and she was greeted with a "BOO".  
  
Lily screamed. Bella's was laughing her head off, and ran away.  
  
"BELLA! I'M SO GONNA GET YOU FOR THAT!" Lily shouted, and ran after Bella.  
  
Lily eventually found Bella and they had a tickling war.  
  
"Ok Lils, I'm calling a truce," Bella said after about five minutes of the war.  
  
"Truce" Lily said, still laughing.  
  
Lily and Bella walked up the stars to Bella's room.  
  
"I've missed you sooooo much Bella!" Lily told her best friend.  
  
"Me too. We haven't seen each other in, what, two and a half months? Too long, my friend, too long" Bella said.  
  
"Hey, you know Zani had to spend two weeks at the Potter's with Sirius and James?" Lily asked.  
  
"Yeah I know. That would have been a living hell" Bella answered.  
  
"Zani said it actually wasn't that bad. Said they've matured a bit, though I don't really believe her" Lily said.  
  
"James Potter and Sirius Black, mature? I think not" Bella said, laughing at the prospect.  
  
"Oh come Bella, we all know of you're undying love for Sirius" Lily said, eyes gleaming.  
  
Bella went redder than Lily's hair.  
  
"Oh, and what about your crush on the illustrious James Potter?" Bella asked.  
  
"Me? More like him!" Lily answered.  
  
"Lily" Bella warned, giving her the 'don't-lie-to-me-I-know-you-too-well' look.  
  
"Oh alright. I like Potter. Happy?" Lily said, annoyed.  
  
"No. I won't be happy until you agree to go out with him the next time he asks you" Bella said, grinning like a Cheshire cat.  
  
"Ok, fine. But that doesn't mean I'm going to be his girlfriend or anything Bella" Lily said, frowning.  
  
"Whatever" Bella said mischievously, eyes gleaming.  
  
"Anyway, what are we going to do now I'm here?" Lily said, changing the topic.  
  
"Oh! Well I asked mum before she went to work this morning if we could go to Diagon Alley and she said it's fine, so we can go now if you want, we've just got to get our moneybags" Bella said.  
  
"Ok! I haven't got my school stuff yet, have you?" Lily asked while they were searching for their moneybags.  
  
"Nope," Bella replied as she found her moneybag. "Let's go!" she said, and they apparated to Diagon Alley.  
  
A/N: So that's done. Plz review!!!!!!!!  
  
jellybeanqueen 


	3. Diagon Alley

Disclaimer: I do no own Harry Potter. It all belongs to JK Rowling.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
James and Sirius arrived at Diagon Alley seconds before Lily and Bella did. James and Sirius didn't see the two girls, but Bella called out "Oi! James! Sirius! Over here!" and the two boys turned around and ran up to the girls.  
  
"Well hello Miss Figg and Miss Evans" Sirius said, breathless at the sight of Bella.  
  
"Hey Sirius, James" Lily said.  
  
"Hi Lily" James said back to her.  
  
"That's it? Just "Hi Lily?" No rude comment? No pranks up your sleeve?" Lily asked James.  
  
"Nope. Lily, despite what you may think, I can be mature when I want to" James answered the fiery redhead.  
  
"And other times you can be a complete, arrogant jerk," Lily interjected.  
  
"Lily, I've changed. I know I was a jerk, but I'm trying my hardest not to be. Can't we just be at least friends?" James pleaded.  
  
"Ok. Friends. Nothing more though. I don't want a boyfriend right now" Lily told the other three.  
  
'Sure Lily, you say that now...' Bella thought.  
  
"So, ladies, mind if we hang out with you? You look like you're here to shop for school, which is the main purpose of our actions too," Sirius asked them.  
  
"Sure Sirius" Bella answered for her and Lily.  
  
Lily scowled. 'A whole day with Potter and Black? Is she serious?' Lily thought.  
  
"Lily...Lily...LILY!" Bella shouted at Lily trying to get her attention.  
  
"W.What? Sorry I was just thinking..." Lily trailed off.  
  
"About me?" James asked hopefully.  
  
"No, not you Potter. Actually I was thinking of my Severus. Oh yes, isn't he adorable? We've been secretly dating for two years and now I'm carrying his child," Lily said with a straight face.  
  
James looked horrified. "WHAT?" he shouted, turning a few heads his way.  
  
Lily burst out laughing. "God James, you're so gullible!" she said through fits of laughter.  
  
Sirius and Bella were now also in hysterics.  
  
"Mate your face was priceless!" Sirius said to James.  
  
"Alright, alright, now you've all had a go at me, can we please go get our stuff?" James asked, eager to get of the subject.  
  
"Alright, Jamesie, don't get your knickers in a knot!" Bella said, still laughing.  
  
The four of them started walking down Diagon Alley.  
  
"Ok, where to first?" Lily asked the other three.  
  
"Uh...Madam Malkins Robes for all Occasions? We need dress robes this year; we're having a Graduation Ball" Bella replied.  
  
"Ok" James agreed.  
  
On the way to the store, the three of them discussed their other friends, especially Zani, as she was both the boys and the girls' friend, and Sirius' cousin.  
  
"So, boys, I heard she had to spend two weeks with you two," Lily said.  
  
"Yeah, but boy has that girl changed! Hasn't she Padfoot?" James asked Sirius.  
  
"Yeah. She's like more withdrawn, and she didn't join in with any of our pranks or anything!" Sirius exclaimed.  
  
"Really? That's weird!" Lily said, as Zani was almost as well known for pranks as Sirius and James.  
  
They had reached the shop by now. The four of the stepped inside and were greeted by Madam Malkin herself.  
  
"Welcome, Ladies and Gentleman, how may I help you today?" Madam Malkin asked them.  
  
"Uh, we're Seventh Year's at Hogwarts and we need dress robes for our Graduation Ball" James told her.  
  
"Well, gentlemen, you're in luck! We have just received a new order of blue and green dress robes that I think would go with your eyes nicely. As for you, ladies, our women's section is over there. Go and check out what you would like!" Madam Malkin said rather forcefully.  
  
"Geez, she could have said that a bit nicer" Lily murmured as she and Bella made their way to the women's section.  
  
Bella laughed. "Yeah, but I think she just jealous that us two are hanging around with Sirius Black and James Potter!" She said.  
  
Lily laughed in agreement, and began looking at the robes, as did Bella. After about five minutes, Bella had found some baby blue robes that matched her eyes perfectly, but Lily was still searching.  
  
'Why, oh why was I born with red hair?' she thought to herself.  
  
"Lils! Come here! I found the perfect robes for you!" Bella called to her from the other side of the ladies section.  
  
Lily ran over to Bella, who was holding up the most beautiful dress robes she'd ever seen. They were emerald green, figure hugging at the top, and flowy (A/N: is that a word? Well it is now!) at the bottom.  
  
"Oh my God Bella! They're perfect! Let's go buy them!" Lily said, and ran to the counter.  
  
After the girls had paid for their robes, they walked outside to find the boys waiting for them, although now joined by Remus.  
  
"Hey Remus!" Bella called out, and hugged him. Remus and Bella were extremely good friends. Some people thought they were dating, but they never would. Their relationship was more brother/sisterish.  
  
"Bella! I've missed you so much!" Remus said as they let go.  
  
"Same here, Moony old pal!" Bella said, as she and Lily had found out about Remus being a werewolf in Third Year.  
  
"So guys, what else do we need to get?" Sirius asked the group.  
  
"Uh.well, we haven't got our books yet, so we have to go to Flourish and Blotts, but other than that, does anyone need to get anything else? Quills? Parchment?" Lily asked.  
  
A chorus of "Nope's" and "No's" was heard all around the group, and they headed to Flourish and Blotts.  
  
On the way, however, they were stopped by Lucius Malfoy and Severus Snape.  
  
"What do you two losers want?" James said, irritably.  
  
"Oh nothing, Potter, we were just going to tell you some information about you're cousin, Black, Zanthia" Malfoy said, eyes towards Sirius, "But after you're little outburst, Potter, I don't think we will" Malfoy finished evilly.  
  
"What did you do to Zanthia?" Sirius roared, grabbing Malfoy by the collar, wand pointing at his chest.  
  
"Um...sh...she w...was..." Malfoy spluttered.  
  
"What was she Malfoy" James asked him, wand pointed at his head.  
  
"I c...can't tell you, b...but she's ok, i...it happened last year" Malfoy told them.  
  
"Leave him, Sirius, he's not worth it" Bella told Sirius quietly.  
  
Sirius obeyed Bella, dropping Malfoy on the ground.  
  
"Leave Zanthia alone, Malfoy, or I'll personally make you wish you were never born!" Sirius snarled at Malfoy, and Malfoy ran off with Snape, muttering about half-squib girlfriends.  
  
"I swear, if he did anything to Zani I'll-" Sirius started, but was interrupted by Bella.  
  
"Sirius, please, just leave it, ok?" she pleaded.  
  
"Fine" he said, calming down.  
  
The rest of the afternoon, the mood was glum, just buying all their things, and then they went their separate ways, Lily and Bella together, Sirius, Remus and James together, saying "I'll owl you" or "Cya at Hogwarts".  
  
But they didn't know that the next two weeks would be two weeks they would never forget... *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
A/N: A sorta cliffhanger! So, what happened to Zani? What happens in the next two weeks? That'll all be in the next couple of chapters! Plz review!  
  
jellybeanqueen 


	4. Pain and Suffering

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. It all belongs to J.K. Rowling.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Lils, wake up! Something really bad has happened! LILY GET UP!" Bella screamed.  
  
"W...what are you on about Bella?" Lily asked, thoroughly confused.  
  
"This!" Bella screamed pointing to a bit of parchment, and burst into tears.  
  
Lily jumped out of bed, and took the parchment out of Bella's hands.  
  
'Dear Miss Figg and Miss Evans' it read.  
  
'Ladies, I must write this. For the past year, I have been following around your friend, Zanthia Black, trying to recruit her for my army, widely known as the Death Eaters. Zanthia, as well as her cousin, Sirius and his best friend James Potter, is very powerful, something that can be used as a weapon for me.  
  
Why am I telling you this? Well, see, I thought I'd be kind. You see, I have kidnapped Zanthia, and will keep her here until she obeys my commands, to become a Death Eater. If she doesn't obey, she will be leading a life of torture, both physically and emotionally, and eventually, she will die.  
  
You are probably still wondering why it is I am telling you this. Well, if you do not obey the orders I am about to give you, you will suffer the same consequences that Zanthia will.  
  
My orders are that you bring to me Sirius Black and James Potter. How? Well it's simple really. First knock them unconscious, and then bring them to the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. There, I'll be waiting.  
  
You are probably thinking, what about Dumbledore? Well, the fact is, ladies, is that no matter how hard you or Dumbledore or anyone tries to find me, they won't be able to, unless they have brought me James Potter and Sirius Black.  
  
So, ladies, the choice is up to you, however, remember the consequences, and also that I have stalked your friend Zanthia for over a year, sending her letters of invitations and threats, and I will do exactly the same for you.  
  
Sincerely, Lord Voldermort.'  
  
"Oh my God!" Lily said joining in with Bella in the tears.  
  
The two of them stood there, crying, for about five minutes. Eventually, it was Bella who spoke, saying, "Lily, we have to see Marie! S...she'll be distraught!"  
  
"W...what if she doesn't know?" Lily asked her.  
  
"I highly doubt that. I mean think about it, Voldermort wants pain and suffering, and what could be worse than finding out your best friend is being tortured and maybe even killed by the most evil wizard in the world?" Bella asked her best friend.  
  
Lily nodded her head. "Y.....our right Bella. L...let's go then," she said.  
  
She and Bella then apparated to Marie's house.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Sirius! James! I need to talk to you both!" Mary Potter called, with a note of sorrow in her voice, up the stairs.  
  
"Alright mum, we'll be down in a minute!" James called out, and eyed Sirius as if to say 'what on earth would she need to talk to us about and why does she sound sad?' as they headed down the stairs.  
  
"Mum, why do you need to talk...mum, what on earth is wrong?' James asked his mother upon seeing her, as her eyes were red and puffy from crying.  
  
"It's Zani... she...she's been kidnapped by V...Voldermort, a...and h....he's t.....torturing her..." Mary trailed off.  
  
"WHAT?" Sirius and James roared.  
  
"I'm going to get him! That lousy, evil, dirty BASTARD!" Sirius shouted, and ran for the door.  
  
"Sirius, how exactly do you think you're going to find him? Sirius? SIRIUS!" Mary screeched, but Sirius had left.  
  
James ran after his best friend. As James was a better runner than Sirius, he had caught up to him quite quickly.  
  
"Sirius mate," James started, "There's not much you can do-''  
  
"Oh really? I can go out there and find him! Kill him! I HATE HIM JAMES! ZANTHIA IS PRACTICALLY MY SISTER!" Sirius roared, then for the first time in his life, James watched Sirius burst into tears.  
  
James went to his best friend and gave him a one-armed hug.  
  
"Mate, she'll be ok! They've got Auror's out looking for her, Sirius! I mean, if they can't find her, no-one can!" James said, instantly realizing that wasn't the best thing to say.  
  
"YEAH, SO WHAT IF THEY CAN'T FIND HER? HUH JAMES? WE JUST LEAVE WITH THE MADMAN TO DIE?" Sirius shouted.  
  
"N...no mate, I...I didn't mean it like that-''  
  
"THEN WHAT THE BLOODY HELL DID YOU MEAN BY IT, JAMES?" Sirius shouted, eyeing his best friend for an answer.  
  
"I meant that the Auror's will find her! She gonna be ok!" James answered Sirius as calmly as he could.  
  
"Ok," Sirius said, although not truly believing him.  
  
"Listen Sirius, do you want to go see your family?" James asked.  
  
Sirius shook his head.  
  
"N...no... w...wait, maybe Andy..." Sirius spluttered.  
  
"Do you know where Andy is?" James asked.  
  
"Sh...she wouldn't be a...at her house w...with Ted and Nymphadora, b...because she's p...probably gone to s...see Marie" Sirius spluttered.  
  
"Wh-oh yeah" James said, remembering Andy was quite good friends with Marie, as she was Zani's best friend, and Zani was Andy's half sister.  
  
"So, you want to go?" James said, awkwardly.  
  
"Y...yeah, l...let's go get our stuff" Sirius said, walking back to the Potter's house.  
  
When they entered the house, James's mother eyed him suspiciously, and he mouthed to Sirius "I'll be right up", then followed his mother to the living room.  
  
"Is he ok?" Mary asked her son.  
  
"Yeah, but he needs to see Andy, mum, and she's at Marie's house...you know, the Singleton's?" James said to his mother blank face.  
  
"Oh yes, lovely girl that Marie is. In Gryffindor too isn't she?" Mary asked.  
  
"Uh yeah, but mum Sirius and I need to go to Marie's house. Is that ok?" James asked hopefully.  
  
"Of course, James" Mary said, giving him a hug. "Now you be good, Jamie!" she told her son sternly.  
  
"Of course I will, mother" James replied, although his tone sounded as if he would be doing the exact opposite.  
  
"James..." his mother said.  
  
"Ok mother, I'll be good" he said, promisingly, as he ran up to his bedroom, where he found Sirius looking at a picture of the eight of them: themselves, Remus, Peter, Bella, Marie, Lily and Zani. It had been taken just six weeks ago, and all eight of them were smiling.  
  
"Sirius, mate" James started, "Don't look at that it'll only makes things worse-''  
  
"She was smiling James," Sirius said sadly, "She had no idea what was about to happen".  
  
James smiled sadly. "Sirius, come on, we've gotta pack".  
  
"Yeah ok..." Sirius trailed off.  
  
The two boys quickly packed up their trunks, (using magic of course), and apparated to Marie's house.  
  
A/N: That's it! I don't really think this is an excellent chapter, but it must be done, as it is a lead up to other things. Plz review!!!!!!!!!  
  
jellybeanqueen 


	5. A Thousand Tears

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Not a single thing. :(  
  
A/N: I want to thank all my reviewers, but I would like to give one  
message:  
  
Diamond Dust: I understand what you mean, but in my opinion, as he  
wanted to destroy as many lives as possible, if he sends them letters,  
it won't just destroy Zani, James and Sirius's lives, it will also  
destroy Lily and Bella's. But this is just my opinion, and you are of  
course entitled to have yours too! :)  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Marie was staring out the window. Rain was trickling down the window, as if the sky was crying the tears Marie could not. Marie could see a little girl, running around, away from her mother, jumping in puddles as she went.  
  
'If only I could be carefree like that again', Marie thought, 'When my biggest enemy was my mother when she wouldn't let me eat the last cookie from the cookie jar'.  
  
She turned around, only to see a picture of Zani on her bedside table.  
  
'Oh Zani' she thought, 'Why you? Why did it have to be you? Out of everyone! Why not me?'  
  
Those words had rung in her head the past twelve hours since she found out about Zani's disappearance. 'Why not me?'  
  
'I would be so much easier to kill, too, I couldn't fight Lily, let alone Him!' Marie thought sadly.  
  
She got up from the chair she'd been sitting on, and looked into her mirror.  
  
'I mean look at me,' she thought, 'I even look weak!'  
  
Marie was very skinny, and was quite tall. She had long blonde hair and pale blue eyes that always seemed to look as though she would burst into tears any second, even when she cracked a rare smile. She took on the appearance of being weak, because she was one of those people who look like that if you shook them they might break.  
  
Marie turned around. Her muggle radio was softly playing. She listened for a second...  
  
And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming  
  
Or the moment of truth in your lies  
  
When everything feels like the movies  
  
Yeah you bleed just to know you're alive...  
  
'That is exactly how I feel' Marie thought. 'This all doesn't seem real. I don't want it to feel real'.  
  
Just then, Marie heard a crack, then another crack, then another crack, and then another crack. Marie knew what those cracks were. They were the sound of someone apparating.  
  
'What if it's the ministry, coming to tell us she's dead? What if they found her body, and they want me to identify her? What if it's Him?' Marie thought crazily, as the door to her room opened, creaking.  
  
"Marie?" Lily asked. Marie turned around. "Oh Lily!" she cried, and gave her a big hug, then started to cry.  
  
"Shh, Marie, it's ok! She's gonna be ok!" Lily said comfortingly.  
  
But Marie continued to cry, as Bella, Sirius and James entered the room.  
  
'What are they doing here?' Lily thought, 'They aren't really close to Marie - oh, right, Sirius is Zani's cousin!'  
  
Marie looked up as she heard the door close behind James, and saw Sirius standing there.  
  
"Oh Sirius! I'm so sorry!" she cried, and gave him a hug.  
  
"Marie, I'm ok! It's you we're worried about!" Sirius said, and looked at the picture of Zani. "You and Zani" he said, and he let go of Marie, just as they heard another crack outside the door. Seconds later Remus appeared at the doorway, and Marie went up to him and hugged him.  
  
"R...Remus I'm s...so g...glad y...you're here!" Marie said, as she knew that Remus, at least, would know how she was feeling, as he was Zani's boyfriend.  
  
Remus hugged Marie comfortingly, and then gave Sirius a friendly hug too.  
  
"She'll be alright, mate," Remus whispered in Sirius's ear.  
  
"I hope so," Sirius whispered back.  
  
As they let go, they realized that Marie would take a lot more convincing to believe that Zani would be ok, so they put their arms around her and sat her down on the bed, telling her everything they had thought about in the past twelve hours, trying to make her feel better.  
  
Lily, James and Bella realized they should leave the other three alone for a while, so they slowly walked out of Marie's bedroom.  
  
As soon as they walked out of Marie's bedroom, they were met by Sirius's cousin and Zani's sister, Andromeda (Andy).  
  
Andy greeted them cordially, and then entered the room the other three had just left.  
  
Bella turned to the other two and said she needed to go to the bathroom, as her face was all puffy from crying, and she continued her way downstairs.  
  
Lily looked around sadly, as if she was trying not to cry.  
  
"Lils, don't cry, you look much prettier when you smile," James said, giving her a comforting smile.  
  
"JAMES POTTER! I KNEW YOU WERE INSENSITIVE, BUT I THOUGHT YOU COULD AT LEAST STOP TRYING TO CRACK ONTO ME WHEN MY FRIEND IS OUT THERE BEING TORTURED BY THE MOST EVIL AND SECOND MOST POWERFUL WIZARD IN THE WORLD!" Lily shouted menacingly.  
  
"Evans I-''  
  
"I THOUGHT YOU JUST GOT OVER THE EVANS THING! YOU JUST CALLED ME LILS! AND DON'T MAKE UP SOME STUPID EXCUSE, POTTER, YOU'RE HORRIBLE AT LYING!" Lily shouted, interrupting James.  
  
"LILY I WASN'T TRYING TO CRACK ONTO YOU, OK? I'M WORRIED ABOUT YOU! MARIE AND BELLA HAVE BEEN CRYING THEIR HEARTS OUT, BUT YOU HAVEN'T SHED A TEAR!" James shouted back at her.  
  
"OH SO YOU WANT ME TO CRY! RIGHT!" Lily shouted, and then turned around to leave for the bathroom.  
  
"No Lily, I just want you to un-bottle your emotions, or you're going to kill someone with all the anger you've got kept inside you!" James said calmly, attempting to calm Lily down.  
  
Lily turned around. "Why do you even care, James?" she asked bitterly.  
  
"You wouldn't care if I told you," James replied, just as bitter.  
  
"No really James, humor me," Lily said sarcastically.  
  
"Lily you wouldn't care! You hate me! And you have every reason to! I've been a complete jerk to you since we met! Why the hell would you give a damn about my feelings?" James asked her, not expecting an answer, and turned to leave.  
  
"James, I don't hate you," Lily said softly.  
  
James turned around. "Lily, don't lie, I know you hate me," James said, and he turned around again, and walked up the stairs to Marie's bedroom, and closed the door behind him as he entered her room.  
  
Lily slumped against the wall, and began to cry.  
  
'Everything is so messed up!' she thought, then buried her head in her hands, crying harder than before. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
A/N: That's all folks! :) I really liked writing this chapter, especially the Lily-James argument part. Plz, plz, plz review!!!!!!  
  
Oh and the song Marie was listening to is Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls so that completely belongs to them!  
  
jellybeanqueen 


	6. Selfishness and Arrogancy

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. It all belongs to J.K. Rowling. Hey everyone! Sorry I have updated in awhile, I was at a music camp…>=\ Anyways, thanks everyone who reviewed, and please keep them coming! Ok, on with the story… *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Lily awoke to the sound of an owl starching on the window beside the bed she was sleeping on. She got up and opened the window, careful not to wake Bella, who was sleeping in a bed across the room, and untied the letter from the owl's leg, whom she recognised as James's:-

_Lily _

Please don't be mad at me. I want to make one thing clear. I really was worried about you. I just went about it in the wrong way. Like I always do. I always stuff everything up Lily, and not just with you. Everything.

As I said a week ago, I have been a jerk to you since we met. And what gets me is that I don't even remember why. It's stupid and immature, but that is exactly who I am.

I'm afraid of growing up. I'm afraid to face what meets us after we leave Hogwarts, or even when we are attending it. I'm afraid to leave my family. I'm afraid to be out on my own. But mainly, I'm afraid to fall in love.

But the stupid thing is, I already have. With you. 

But it's ok Lily, I know you don't love me back, or even like me at all. But I also know that I am head over heels in love with you.

Lily, I don't know why I'm writing this, but I have, and if you've read this far, I'd be very surprised, as you hate me, and with very good reason, too.

But if you have read this far, I'm letting you know I'll keep out of your life, if that's what you want. And I highly doubt that it isn't.

Goodbye, 

James.

Lily stood in Bella's room, shocked.

_'I never knew James could be so…caring…romantic…modest'_ Lily thought.

Lily sat down on the bed she was using. She felt, for the hundredth time that week, suddenly overwhelmed.

Zani was presumed dead. All her friends were miserable. And James thought she hated him. 

Lily looked around the room. Bella's mother, Nina, had lain out two skirts and two tops for Lily and Bella. Both black.

Lily felt a tear trickle down her cheek. Today was the memorial service for Zani. As they had no body, they couldn't hold a burial ceremony. 

Lily had been trying to tell everyone that Zani was ok, she had only been gone a week, but in her hearts of hearts, she knew that even if Zani was alive, she was probably worse than dead. 

Lily suddenly burst into tears. Bella woke at the sound of her sobbing uncontrollably.

"Lils…Lily…shhhhh…" Bella said soothingly, although not really feeling as though she should.

"B…Bella, everything so bloody stuffed up!" Lily cried, and flopped down on her bed.

"Lil, I know that, but I really don't think that's the reason you suddenly started crying! The only time you've actually cried this week was after your fight with James-''

"Are you trying to say I don't care that Zani is dead?" Lily retorted angrily.

"NO! I'm saying that I think you're-''

"An insensitive bitch? Is that what I am? Just because I can't cry?" Lily shouted.

"LILY JUST SHUT UP FOR A MINUTE! I AM NOT SAYING THAT! I'M SAYING THAT I THINK YOU'RE IN LOVE WITH JAMES!" Bella shouted back, stunning Lily, at first, then causing her to cry and run from the room, dropping James' letter, which she had been holding the whole time. Bella read it with wide eyes, and ran after Lily.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_Will you fall for me_

The way I'd like you to

Will you fall for me

The way I've fallen for you

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

James was sitting in his room with the light turned off, while Sirius was in the shower.

_'What if I just made a huge mistake?'_ James thought miserably.

Sirius walked into the room, and turned on the light. He was extremely shocked to find James lying on his bed, looking at the ceiling.

"Mate, what are you doing?" Sirius asked his best friend.

"Thinking" James replied simply, without looking at Sirius.

"Right…mate we've got to get to the service. It's in a muggle cemetery, don't want to attract to much attention" Sirius told him.

James made an odd noise, which sounded like a "piss off".

"Fine, James don't come. Goodbye" Sirius said stiffly.

Sirius walked out and slammed the door, leaving James to ponder his thoughts alone.

James got off his bed and walked over to his mirror. He looked at himself with disgust.

_'Why am I such an idiot?'_ James thought. _'I stuff up everything. Sirius has got to hate me now too. Everyone hates me. Because I'm a stupid jerk'_.

James turned away from the mirror, and saw the black clothes lain out on his bed.

_'I have to go. I'm being selfish and a jerk. Zani was my friend'_ James thought.

James quickly got dressed, and ran out of the bedroom.

"Padfoot, wait!" James called, and Sirius, who had been about to walk out the door, turned around to see James standing there.

"So, you decided to come huh?" Sirius asked rather coldly.

"Sirius, I'm sorry, I've been a jerk to everyone the past week, especially you. Mate I'm sorry" James said, waiting for Sirius' reaction.

"S'ok mate" Sirius said, and they shared a quick hug.

"Let's go" James said, and they went out the door. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"LILY!" Bella yelled. "LILY WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?"

Bella ran down the stairs to find Lily slumped on the floor against the wall, still crying.

"Lily, come on, we've got to go" Bella said, trying to stop Lily crying.

"Shut up Bella! I hate you! You are the biggest bitch I know! Leave me alone!" Lily screamed at Bella.

Bella was taken aback at Lily's outburst, and she herself began to cry.

"Fine Lily, be like that. But don't come crying to me when you want someone to comfort you!" Bella shouted and turned around, ready to walk out the door, when she heard a knock on the door.

Bella turned back and glared at Lily, then opened the door. She screamed at the sight of the person that was standing on her doorstep.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* That's it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please review!!!!!

P.S. The song in that chapter was Will You Fall For Me by Delta Goodrem.

jellybeanqueen


	7. Appearances and Explanations

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. It all belongs to J.K. Rowling. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Sirius lent his head on the taxi door. He and James decided it was best to go by muggle transport, and James's parents didn't own a car.

"Hmmph" was Sirius' reply.

Sirius looked out the window, up to the gloomy sky. It was raining, and the droplets looked like tears on the window, like the clouds were crying for Zani.

Sirius heard a soft tune playing from the muggle radio in the taxi. He listened in for a few seconds…

_And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming,_

Or the moment of truth in your life,

When everything feels like the movies,

Yeah you bleed just to know your alive…

All of a sudden, Sirius' mind went blank…

*_Flashback*_

"ARGH! SIRIUS RUN!" Zani screamed, running from Snape, who had grown, er, womanly features and was chasing Sirius and Zani down the hallway, receiving catcalls and whistles as he went, whilst running in high heels.

Sirius and Zani had reached the Room of Requirement, and Sirius opened the door and they jumped inside it. It had turned into a broom cupboard, and Snape had no idea where they were.

Zani and Sirius were laughing so hard they couldn't stand straight.

"That…was…the…best…prank…this…year!" Zani said between giggles.

When they had recovered, Zani asked, "Where's Jamie?"

As if to answer her question, they heard Snape yell "POTTER! I'M GOING TO GET YOU!"

Zani and Sirius burst out laughing again.

*Flashback 2*

The first years were arriving in the usual fashion, on boats. Zani was with her newfound friend, Marie, Lily with Bella, Sirius with James, and Remus, reluctantly, with Peter.

"Hey Evans! Evans!" James called out to the pretty redhead he had met earlier that day.

Lily turned around to see the cheeky faces of James Potter and Sirius Black staring back at her.

"What do you want?" Lily asked coolly.

"Will you go out with me?" the hazel eyed, messy haired boy asked.

"No bloody way" Lily replied.

During the trip, James proceeded to asked Lily out five more times before giving up. Sirius had resulted to talking to his cousin Zanthia, who, with Marie, were residing the boat next to them. They were planning to tip Lily and Bella's boat over. James however, was oblivious to this, and they suspected he would dive in and save Lily.

Zani and Sirius rowed their boats away from each other, either side of Lily and Bella's.

Sirius called out "1,2,3!" then they tipped the boat over.

Lily and Bella were both screaming their heads off, the water was freezing.

James immediately jumped in and saved Lily, who replied with a "GET THE HELL OFF ME POTTER!" and left Bella in the freezing cold water, screaming "Help me! Help me!" until Sirius, who had developed a teensy crush on the pretty brunette, jumped in and retrieved her from the water.

Bella, who couldn't deny she felt something for Sirius, thanked him quickly, blushing, and went back to her boat.

Sirius and Zani eyed each other and immediately burst out laughing.

*Flashback 3*

Sirius and Zani were playing in the sandbox together when they heard Sirius' parents come home, talking about Zani and Sirius joining the Death Eaters. Sirius and Zani keenly listened in.

"Zanthia would make a fine Death Eater, wouldn't she, darling?" Deirdre Black asked her husband.

"That mother of hers would never allow it. Stubborn cow that one is. I highly doubt Marcus knew what he was getting into marrying her" Fred replied, scowling.

"Yes, horrible choice, I must say. However, what about Sirius?" Deirdre asked.

"I don't know…honestly, I think the idiot of a son I have will be a goody-goody Dumbledore lover. Deirdre, we must have more children, we can't just have a blood traitor! We need a loving, devoted child!" Fred replied forcefully.

"I agree Fred. Sirius is a good for nothing idiot. I'm surprised the Dark Lord isn't hunting both he and Zanthia down and set them straight and if they still refuse…" Deirdre said, just as forcefully.

"They must suffer the consequences" Fred finished, and they both laughed evilly.

At that point, Zani and Sirius stopped listening.

Sirius turned to Zani, and asked her if she would join the Death Eaters.

"Of course not," she replied, "I don't want to be an evil person."

"Me either" Sirius said, although still worried. "When they said consequences, did they mean something that would happen if we didn't do something?" he asked Zani

"I think so" she replied.

"Well, what if that means he'd kill us?" Sirius asked.

"He'll never kill me. I'm going to live forever" she replied, grinning.

*End Flashback* That word echoed in Sirius' head.

"Forever"

"Forever"

"FOREVER!" Sirius cried, then turned to James.

"James! She's alive! Zani's alive! We've got to find her!" Sirius shouted.

James stared at his best friend blankly. "What?" he asked.

"She's alive! I just know it!" Sirius replied.

"Ok mate, if she is alive, where would she be?" James asked, worried for Sirius' sanity. "Well, she'd have gone to Marie's but no-one's there, they left early this morning,…she wouldn't go to my house or hers, she hates both…she doesn't know where Lily's is…nor Remus'…BELLA'S! She's be at Bella's!" Sirius cried, then opened the door.

"SIRIUS YOU TWIT! YOU"RE GOING TO GET YOUSELF KILLED!" James shouted, but Sirius had already got out of the car, and was running down the highway.

James quickly payed the taxi driver, opened the door, then ran after Sirius.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Bella was still shocked to see the person who was standing on her doorstep.

"Zani?" Bella said, and Lily quickly got up off the floor and hurried to the door.

"Oh my God! ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Lily screamed then she and Bella hugged Zani tightly.

"Guys, oxygen needed!" Zani said weakly, trying to smile.

"Zan, what happened to you?" Lily asked softly.

"Well, Voldermort kidnapped me while I was sleeping. Well actually, just his 'Death Eaters'. They took me to his hiding spot, and Voldermort tried to get me to join the Death Eaters. I refused, of course, and they held me in a cell for three days, feeding me when they felt like it. They didn't think, though, to take my wand, stupid idiots they are, so I could constantly conjure up my own food, but I couldn't open the lock, 'Alohamora' (A/N: Is that it? I'm not sure) didn't do it, so I had to wait until they decided to let me out. Sure enough, after three days, they let me out, so Voldermort could torture me until I agreed to joined, or until I died. Fortunately, I still had my wand, and as he didn't think I did , I hit him with the disarming spell and I ran away. When I got outside of that horrible place, I found I couldn't apparate, he must have put some kind of spell on me, so I had to hitchhike my way back here" Zani finished, horribly exhausted.

"It was so horrible!' she remarked, then burst into tears.

Lily and Bella immediately comforted her.

"Do you want us to owl Marie? And Sirius? And James? And Remus?" Bella babbled on, and Zani nodded her head every time she said a name.

So Bella ran up the stairs to her bedroom, then to her desk, and wrote on four different pieces of parchment: _'Zani's alive! Come to my house as soon as possible! Love, Bella'_, then told her owl, Bea, to send them to all four of them, as she didn't know where exactly they were.

Bella ran back downstairs, to where Lily and Zani were, the lounge room, where they launched into a girl talk session, and Bella happily thought _'Maybe everything will go back to normal again'_

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I found that chapter really hard to write and I don't like it one bit!!!!!! But could you please review? If you do, thank you sooooo much!!!!

jellybeanqueen 


	8. Truth, Love and Happiness

**Disclaimer:**I do not own Harry Potter. It all belongs to J.K. Rowling.

A/N: I have finally updated!!! Thank you to all who reviewed the last chapter!!!!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Remus looked around his bedroom. He had just heard the news Zani was alive and was ecstatic. Zani was his girlfriend after all.

Remus found a picture of the two of them at the Christmas ball in sixth year. _'She looked so beautiful!'_ Remus thought reminiscently. He and Zani had started going out in fifth year, and have been together ever since. Though they've had their fair share of fights, they were nothing compared to Lily and James, and usually ended in a quick 'I'm-so-sorry' kiss.

Remus lived with his mother in a small townhouse. His mother had breast cancer, however, and these days, as the cancer had spread, there was generally a nurse living with them to tend to his mother's needs. Remus' father had left his mother when Remus' was six, and he had always been an only child. His mother told him he had a half-brother and sister through his father, but he didn't want to know them, as their (and his) father had abandoned him.

Remus remembered that Bella had said to go to her place straight away after they got the letter, so he quickly walked into his mothers room where she was sleeping, wrote a note about where he was going, gave it the current nurse, Nurse O'Connor, and apparated to Bella's house.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"SIRIUS YOU ARE THE BIGGEST IDIOT I HAVE EVER MET!" James shouted to his best friend as he struggled but succeeded to catch up to him. "Did you want to yourself killed?" he shouted again, as they ran side by side down they backstreets towards Bella's house.

"Shut up James! I know Zani's alive, and that's the only thing that matters right now!" Sirius shouted back.

Suddenly, Sirius was hit in the head by Bea, Bella's owl.

"James! That's Bella's owl! Grab it!" Sirius said from the spot on the ground where he had fallen.

James grabbed Bea and ripped open the envelope that she was carrying, and read Bella's letter.

"Sirius, you were right! She is alive!" James said, and Sirius looked back at him, wide-eyed.

"Let's go then!" Sirius said, getting up, and they continued to run to Bella's. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"So, uh Bel when I was um, away, did you and Sirius get together?" Zani asked cheekily, back to her old self.

"No Zan, we didn't, and we never will!" Bella replied.

"Oh? Why is that?" Zani asked intently.

"Uh let's think, he doesn't like me back?" Bella replied sarcastically.

Zani made an unbelieving noise. "Listen, if Sirius Black doesn't like you, I'll give you ten galleons!" she challenged Bella.

"Then where's my money?" Bella asked sarcastically, completely forgetting what had just happened to Zani, and that of course she wouldn't have any money on her.

"Arabella, think about what you just said, and remember what just happened to me" Zani said, close to tears.

Realization dawned on Bella's face. "Zani I am so sorry, I just…got caught up in my own problems, and completely forgot yours are a million times worse than mine. I'm sorry" Bella said softly.

"It's ok Bel, I'm not angry at you, I'm angry at the stupid dickhead who made my life hell!" Zani said, and burst into tears again.

_'DING DONG!'_

Lily, who had been in the bathroom, yelled "I'll get it!" and ran to the door.

"Hi Lils!" Sirius greeted warmly, giving her a great big hug.

Lily looked at James who mumbled a "Hi Lily" and walked past her into the living room. Lily looked to Sirius, who just shrugged.

Lily heard some chattering from outside, and the voices seemed very familiar. In fact, they seemed to be the voices of – "Marie! Remus!" Lily called out, from the doorstep.

"LILLYYYYYYY!" Marie screamed, and gave Lily a big hug. Remus greeted her warmly and the three of them made their way back to living room, where Sirius, James, Bella and Zani were sitting.

Marie saw Zani looking extremely weak and exhausted, and burst into tears. Zani walked over to her best friend and assured her that although she looked like crap, she didn't feel that bad. Zani then walked over to Remus, and they shared a long awaited kiss.

The group shared an uncomfortable silence, before Bella asked Lily if she could speak to her privately. Lily agreed, and they went to the kitchen.

"Bella I'm so sorry for before, you're not a bitch and I don't hate you" Lily said, before bursting in to tears because she felt so bad for saying those things about Bella.

"Lil," Bella said softly, "I'm the one who should be apologising. I shouldn't have said anything about James, you were upset. It was stupid-''

"Bella, don't apologise, ok? You didn't do anything!" Lily said.

Bella smiled. "Best friends?" she asked.

"Of course!" Lily replied, and they hugged.

"Lily? Can I talk to you?" James asked from the kitchen doorframe.

"Ok" Lily replied grudgedly (A/N: Is that a word? My spell check doesn't think so, but I do!).

Bella took this as her cue to leave, and she went back into the living room.

Lily glared at James. "So?" she asked.

"Lily, I just wanted to tell you that the letter I wrote, I meant it. If you want me out of your life, I'm gone" James said softly.

"James, I don't want you out of my life! What I want is for us to be friends, at the least, on speaking terms!" Lily told him.

"So you really don't hate me?" James asked.

"No, James, I don't hate you" Lily replied. She smiled at James, then walked back attempted to walk back into the living room, but was stopped by Bella, who was clearly upset.

"Bella, what's wrong?" Lily asked her best friend worriedly.

"C…can we go upstairs?" Bella said, extremely close to tears.

Lily followed Bella to her bedroom, and Bella sat down on her bed.

"So Bel, what's wrong?" Lily asked again.

"S…Sirius just s…said he's g…going out w…with Chrissie Jones. You know, the really pretty, blonde and skinny Hufflepuff?" Bella said at the blank look on Lily's face.

"Oh, her" Lily said realization dawning on her face.

Bella burst into tears. "What does she have that I don't?" Bella asked Lily sadly.

"Bella, she has absolutely nothing that you don't! I have no idea what Sirius sees in her!" Lily said angrily.

"Wh...why can't he like me?" Bella asked.

Lily hugged Bella. "I don't know Bel, I really don't know" she said, and they made their way back downstairs, Bella wiping the tears from her eyes.

Meanwhile…

"Sirius, why am I under the impression that you just told everyone you're going out with Chrissie Jones?" James asked his best friend angrily.

"Because I am" Sirius said shortly.

"What about Bella? And how did you do this without me knowing?" James asked.

"I asked her out on the Hogwarts Express on the way home, and Bella? Well I don't like her James" Sirius said, almost as if he was someone else, not himself.

"Sirius, you have liked Arabella Figg for six years. Why the sudden change of mind?" James asked.

"Chrissie" Sirius said, again as if it were someone else.

"No Sirius, I know you to well to think that you would change your mind like that" James said.

"Well you obviously don't know me well enough, then, because it's the truth" Sirius said back at him.

"Sirius" James said in a way that Sirius could no longer lie to him.

"Alright James, I'll tell you the truth then. I love Bella, I love her more than anything. But I don't want her to get hurt. And that's exactly what I'll do to her. I'll break her heart by hooking up with some random blonde who I'll never speak to again, because I'm an idiot, and I always will be" Sirius said, then looked to James.

"Sirius, either way you're breaking her heart. It's you're decision, but I would go for it. At least she loves you back" James said dully, and walked back into the living room.

Sirius heard footsteps coming down the stairs and looked up to see Bella and Lily. Sirius eyed Lily, trying to give her an 'I-need-to-talk-to-her' look, and she obviously understood, because she went into the living room, leaving Bella and Sirius alone.

"Bella…" Sirius began, but Bella interrupted.

"Sirius, I want to say congratulations for you and Chrissie" Bella said, with no emotion in her voice, and not looking at Sirius.

"Bella, I need you to answer one question for me, and depending on the answer, maybe I won't need won't that congratulations" Sirius said, and Bella looked at him strangely.

"Bella, do you…do you love me?" Sirius asked, scared of Bella's reaction, as he thought it sounded a bit cocky.

"No" Bella said, looking at the ceiling.

"Can you look me in the eye and say that?" Sirius asked.

Bella looked into Sirius' eyes, and tried to say no, but no sound came out. Instead, the next thing she knew, their faces were getting closer, and closer until their lips met.

When they pulled apart, Sirius asked Bella softly "So, is that a yes or a no?"

"It's a yes, I do love you Sirius Black!" Bella replied, and they kissed again, and as they pulled apart they smiled at each other, happier than they had been in a long time.

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A/N: That's it! Please review!!!!

jellybeanqueen 


	9. Twisted Train Ride

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Anything that you recognise belongs to J.K. Rowling.**

A/N: Sorry for the delayed update, I have been extremely busy!!! Anyway, thanks to all who reviewed!!!

**Chapter 9 – Twisted Train Ride**

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"LILYYYY! BELLAAA" Lily heard someone call out from behind her.

She and Bella had been about to walk through the barrier to 9 and ¾, and it was a bit of a struggle turning their trolleys around, what with all the weight from their trunks.

"SIRIIIIII! Bella shouted and they hugged each other warmly, Sirius lifting Bella of the ground and spinning her around.

Lily was standing beside them, laughing at what idiots two of her very closest friends could be, when she realised James was standing next to Sirius.

"Hey James" Lily said softly, and he looked up and smiled.

"Hey Lily" he replied, still smiling, although his eyes wavered off in another direction.

"James?" Lily asked, "Anything wrong?'

"N…no, I'm fine" he said, smiling reassuringly, although his expression showed otherwise. "Guys" James said, trying to get Sirius and Bella's attention, "We'd better go onto the platform, the train's leaving in five".

The four of them walked onto the platform, soon to be greeted by Zani, Marie, Peter and Remus.

By the time everyone had greeted each other, it was time to get on the train. The eight teenagers ran down to the heads compartment (A/N: In this story, I'm allowing the Heads' friends to sit in the heads compartment, although I'm not sure they would be allowed to).

Once everyone had put their things away neatly, they settled into comfortable positions. The head's compartment wasn't that different to normal compartments, with the exception of lounges instead of the usual uncomfortable seats.

The group, as they often do, shared a very awkward silence, until Sirius blurted out "Let's play truth or dare!" The group groaned, but as no one had any better ideas, they agreed.

"Ok, I'll start!" Sirius shouted excitedly, like a little boy, "I pick…Wormtail! Truth or Dare?"

Peter looked thoughtful for a moment, then said "Truth".

"Ok…hmmm, ok, Wormtail, who's the lucky girl that you're after at the moment?" Sirius asked.

Peter blushed the colour of Lily's hair and muttered "Cherie Delaney" in a voice no louder than a whisper.

"Who?" Sirius asked eagerly.

"Cherie Delaney!" Peter said clearly, and went, if possible, even redder.

Cherie was a very pretty, intelligent Ravenclaw, and possessed the secret ingredient to a Marauder's heart; blonde hair. However, lately this had become a thing of the past, as Sirius was with a brunette, Remus a black head (A/N: that's sounds really bad!) and James was after a certain redhead, but this obviously didn't apply to Peter.

"Well go on then, ask her out!" Sirius said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Well Padfoot, one, she's got a boyfriend, and two, I asked for truth, not dare" Peter said, quite proud of himself for getting himself out of that situation.

Sirius looked defeated. "Ok then, Jamie, you turn!"

And so the game went on for another half an hour until it was Sirius' turn to ask again.

"Prongsie, do you like Lily?" Sirius asked his best friend, only asking because he had run out of things to ask, but he already knew the answer (or so he thought).

"No" James said, and six of his friends were absolutely shocked; Lily just felt hurt, though she couldn't figure out why, she thought she was over her stupid little crush on 'Potter'.

"W…what do you mean, Prongs? Who do you like then?" Sirius asked, still recovering from shock.

James looked at them with no expression on his face whatsoever.

Andie was the remaining 7th Year Gryffindor girl, and the girls got on quite well with her, but she hung out with the ditzy Hufflepuff blondes. (A/N: I am not trying to insult blondes, I just need to use the stereotype!) She herself, however, was a brunette, and had hazel eyes, rather like James'.

"I don't believe you, Prongs! Prove it!" Sirius said.

"Fine Padfoot, I'll go and ask her out then!" James said, and walked out of the compartment door, slamming the doors shut as he went.

The group sat in a stunned silence, avoiding looking at Lily.

Lily herself was having a millions things rush through her head. _'What does she have I don't?'_ and _'Am I too ugly?'_. But the main thing going through her head was _'Why did I have to fall in love with him?'_.

_'Love?_ she asked herself. _'Since when did I **love** James Potter?'_.

_'Since first year'_ another voice told her. Lily tried to shake the thought away, but deep down she knew this was true.

_'But how could have been in love with someone when I was eleven years old?'_ Lily thought. She couldn't answer that question. She had no idea.

The compartment door opening interrupted Lily's thoughts.

"So Prongs" Sirius said awkwardly, "How'd things go?"

"Terrific! We're going to the next Hogsmeade trip together!" James said, smiling.

"That's great!" Remus said, forcing a smile.

Bella glared at James and said, "Yeah, Potter, terrific" with a tone in her voice that said she was extremely pissed off at the teenage boy standing in the middle of the Head's compartment.

Lily forced a smile and looked out the window. _'This is going to be a great year!'_ Lily thought sarcastically.

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Weeks past by, and soon Hogwarts was back to normal after the holidays. Well, actually, it wasn't so normal. No one had heard Lily and James bickering since before summer holidays. In fact, no one had seen them together at all apart from when they were attending their Head Boy and Girl duties. They went to their Head's dorm at different times, and purposely avoided each other while they were in there. The reason why this was happening was because, after the ride on the Hogwarts Express, Lily started to ignore James, and James retaliated by doing the same thing back to her.

Their friends were torn between the two of them, and on the first Hogsmeade trip, they decided to do something, but their plan was rudely interrupted.

"Bella!" Lily called out to her best friend from outside the Gryffindor 7th year girl dorm. "We're going to be late for Hogsmeade!"

"Alright, alright! I'm coming!" Bella shouted and opened the door, hair dripping down her back, and sliding her shoes on.

"What took you so long?" Lily asked as they walked down the stairs.

"I woke up late" Bella replied simply.

"Bel, you always wake up at like, 6:30. What were you up to last night?" Lily asked curiously. The pair had made their way out of the Gryffindor tower and were making their way to the entrance hall.

"I was with Sirius…Lil don't get any ideas, we were just talking" Bella said after seeing Lily expression.

"Why?" Lily asked coldly. She didn't want her friends to hang with HIS (James') friends, although that was made quite difficult, as Sirius and Bella were going out, as were Zani and Remus.

"Let me think, Lily, oh that's right, he's my boyfriend! And because YOU don't want me to hang out with him, I have to see him behind your back!" Bella said.

Lily glared at Bella. "Fine, go hang out with them! See if I care!" she shouted, and began to turn around. By now they had reached the entrance hall, where all students 3rd year and above were assembled, waiting to be marked off to leave for Hogsmeade, and some heads started to turn when they heard Lily shouting.

"Lily, this is so immature! Ok, I understand you don't want to be near James; I think he's a bastard too! But forcing the rest of us to stop hanging out is just stupid Lil!" Bella shouted back, and Lily turned back around. By now, the majority of students were watching the two, including their other six friends.

"What a great best friend you are, Arabella, you back-stabber! Fine! Go have fun with THEM! I'm staying here!" Lily shouted, and began ran back up to her dormitory, leaving Bella dumbfounded.

Lily could hear the students begin to chat about what had just happened, but she didn't care. She didn't care she had just lost all her friends. She didn't care everyone now thought she was a cranky bitch. She felt like she was floating; like everything that just happened was a dream.

Lily had accidently taken the longer route, and began to run faster.

_'What's wrong with me?'_ she suddenly thought. _'I just lost my best friends in the world!_ Lily realised, and felt tears gathering in her eyes.

She made her way into the Head's dormitory, tears flowing down her cheeks.

She could feel someone else's presence in the room, and slowly turned around.

"Lily?"

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A/N: Ok, that's it! Please, please, please review!!!!

jellybeanqueen


	10. Apologetically Forgiven

Disclaimer: I am not J.K Rowling. Therefore, I do not own Harry Potter.

A/N: Ok…I just want to say thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story, because…I BROKE 100 REVIEWS! Thank you so much guys, YOU ROCK!

Ok, I also have to add that I made a mistake in my last chapter so that part of it didn't really make sense. In the part where Sirius asks who James likes, it immediately goes into an explanation about a girl named Andie. As I did say in that chapter, Andie is the remaining 7th Year Gryffindor girl, but I failed to mention her full name is Andie Christensen and that she will have a medium sized role in upcoming chapters. Sorry!

**Apologetically Forgiven**

***Head's Dorm***

Lily turned around to find James Potter standing there in the candlelight.

"James? Wh…why are you here?" Lily asked, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Uh, Lily? This **is** my dorm too. Plus, we were all worried about you and…well I'm the only one apart from you that knows the password" James explained.

"You're all worried? About me?" Lily asked, surprised.

James looked at Lily like she was losing her sanity. "Lily, all friendships have their ups and downs, but that doesn't mean we're just going to give up on you!" James said, looking into her eyes.

"Oh James! I'm so sorry!" Lily said, and began sobbing into her hands.

The worried look on James' face soon turned to sadness, and he put his arms around Lily. "Shh, Lil, you don't have to be sorry-'' "Yes I do James!" Lily sobbed into his shirt. "I was a bitch to you…to everyone…especially Bella…everyone hates me James!" Lily said, sobbing hysterically.

"Lily, I admit, you were a little harsh on Bella. But she's your best friend! She'll forgive you! She doesn't hate you! No one does!" James said comfortingly.

Lily looked up. "You do" she said, hurt in her eyes.

"Lily, if I hated you, why would I be here right now?" James asked her.

"Because…because you don't want anyone to hate **you**. But everyone adores you James. You're Head Boy. Quidditch Captain. Ringleader of the Marauders. Most wanted guy in the whole of Hogwarts. Girls crawl to you. Guys envy you. It's just the way it is" Lily said, pulling away from James' grip, but James held her back.

"Lily, I'm really not that great, you know? I used to think I was, but I was wrong. I was a selfish, pig-headed jerk and I've learnt from my mistakes. But you Lily, you're perfect. You're smart, popular, funny and beautiful-''

"James there is no way in the world I'm beautiful. You must be delusional" Lily said, blushing and crying at the same time.

"Ok, don't believe me then. But you are, Lily Evans, you're the most beautiful woman I've ever met. Lily, I know you don't have the same feelings for me as I feel for you, but could you at least talk to me? Like, civilly? Up until now, you've ignoring me for the whole term! What did I do?" James said, almost yelling.

_'You asked Andie Christensen out'_ Lily thought to herself, but out loud she said, "You ignored me".

"Only because you ignored me first!" James said indignantly.

"No I didn't!" Lily retorted, although she knew she had.

"Listen Lily, can we not fight about such a silly thing like this?" James asked.

"You started it!" Lily yelled back at him.

"Lily please-''

"No! James leave me the hell alone!" Lily said, and she ran out the Head's dorm.

"LILY!" James shouted and ran after her.

***The rest of the gang***

After the fight, Sirius immediately ran up to Bella and gave her a big hug. Bella sobbed on his shoulder and the rest of the group stood around them.

"Excuse me," a voice said from behind Bella and Sirius, "But why are you hugging my boyfriend?" the voice asked Bella.

Sirius and Bella turned around to see Chrissie Jones standing there.

"Oh, hi Chrissie" Sirius said weakly.

"Siri? Why is this slut hugging you?" Chrissie asked sweetly, but scowling at Bella.

"HOW DARE YOU CALL BELLA A SLUT! IF ANYONE'S A SLUT, IT'S YOU! A DIFFERENT BOYFRIEND EVERY WEEK! FOR YOUR INFORMATION, JONES, BELLA IS MY _GIRLFRIEND_! NOT YOU! I ONLY ACCEPTED YOUR DATE BECAUSE **YOU** GAVE ME A LOVE POTION! DON'T YOU REMEMBER?" Sirius roared and shut everyone in the hall up.

"I…uh…um" Chrissie said, terrified, and she scampered off.

Bella also looked terrified. "Si…Siri you didn't have to do that-''

"Yes I did, Bella. No one calls my girlfriend a slut and gets away with it! Plus, the twisted bitch gave me a love potion!" Sirius said, a tad calmer than before.

"Uh…ok Sirius" Bella said, still trembling and softly crying.

"Oh Bellsies, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you!" Sirius said, and hugged his girlfriend warmly.

"It's not just that, Siri, Lily hates me…" Bella trailed off and burst into tears again.

"No she doesn't, Bella, she-''

But Bella didn't hear what Lily was because right at that moment the aforementioned redhead burst into the Entrance Hall with James on her tail.

"POTTER! GO AWAY!" Lily screamed and kept running, and ran straight into Mcgonagall.

"Miss Evans, what is the meaning of this? You, Mr Potter, Mr Black and Miss Figg are holding up the Hogsmeade trip! I expected more from you senior students! Especially the Head Boy and Girl! I'm afraid I must take 25 points from Gryffindor, and the four of you may not attend Hogsmeade today. Now, please return to the common room or I shall have to deduct more points" Mcgonagall scolded in a very disappointed tone.

James, Sirius, Bella and Lily all scowled or sobbed quietly and walked away from the crowd followed by a roar of chatter from the students.

The group of four walked to the common room in an awkward silence. Bella was crying on Sirius' shoulder, while Sirius was glaring at Lily. James was avoiding looking anywhere near Lily, and Lily at James.

When they arrived at the common room, Bella immediately ran up the stairs to the 7th year girls' dormitory and slammed the door. James and Sirius sat down in two comfy chairs and Lily stood awkwardly at the portrait hole.

"Evans, what the hell is wrong with you?" Sirius snarled at Lily.

Lily felt a tear trickle down her cheek. "I…I don't know…" she said, trailing off.

Sirius instantly felt bad, he hated people being upset. "L…Lily, don't cry…" he said, making her cry even more.

Lily walked over to where they were sitting and looked at James. "I'm sorry for shouting at you before. I'm sorry for being such a bitch. I'm sorry for everything" Lily said, hysterical.

Sirius and James couldn't stand her being so upset, so they gave her a big hug. "Lil, it's fine, ok?" James told her, smiling.

"Friends?" Lily asked him.

"Friends" James agreed, smiling even more.

"I…I think I'd better go apologize to Bella" Lily said, feeling really guilty.

Sirius patted her on the back. "It'll be alright" he said comfortingly, and she walked up the stairs to the dormitory, and knocked quietly.

"Bella? It's Lily-''

"G…go away" Bella said through her tears.

"No. I'm not going away until you listen to what I have to say" Lily said through the door.

Lily, who was leaning on the door, fell on the ground when Bella pulled the door open.

"Bella! You could have warned me!" Lily said, but she was smiling. 

"I'm sorry Lily" Bella blurted.

"No, I'm sorry. You're not a back-stabber, you're the best friend I've ever had!" Lily said, hoping Bella would accept her apology.

Bella smiled. "So you don't hate me?" she asked meekly.

"Of course not" Lily said, appalled that Bella could think that.

"Best friends?" Bella asked.

"Always" Lily replied, and they hugged.

"Let's go down to the boys…I…erm…made up with them too" Lily said, walking down the stairs.

"Bella? Lily? Are you two friends again?" Sirius asked hopefully.

"The best" Bella answered, and all four smiled, happy they were all friends again.

"Now, what are we going to do while everyone's at Hogsmeade?" Sirius asked, eyes agleam.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking B1?" James asked Sirius.

"I think I am B2" Sirius answered, and at the same time they yelled "PRANK TIME!" and ran to their dorm to start planning their prank.

"Boys" Lily and Bella said, and rolled their eyes, before bursting out laughing.

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A/N: Ok, I REALLY don't like this chapter…and it was really hard to write. Anyway, Happy New Year everyone!

jellybeanqueen


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